Grady 2/19 OTJ Trial Day 7 AMBG 41 Question about food

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Jenny and Grady

Jenny and Grady

Member Since 2016
Grady is still very hungry. I just weighed him and is 17 lbs. Based on what I have seen (and please correct me if I am wrong), he should be getting 17 X 13 +80 so 310 calories, which would be about 3 small cans of FF a day. But then I just saw something that said he should be getting 30 calories per lb of body weight, which would be 510 calories. Honestly, he should lose a little weight. So would 4 cans a day be appropriate? 5 seems like a lot of food a day but maybe he needs that. Any advice about food would be greatly appreciated.

On a side note, can something happen where putting a cat on insulin do something to the pancreas where he is now too low? My husband thinks I am just looking for something to be wrong when there really isn't :-)
 
Hi Jenny,

Happy Day 7
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You say he needs to loose some weight, what would be a good weight for him?
How many calories would be appropriate for him would be based on his lean body weight, ie his ideal weight.


510 calories is too much, my George is also a big guy, he's about 17lb too, and could do with loosing a little fluff.
I feed him approx 280- 300 calories per day, so I think that your first calc is about right. How many calories he might need would need to be fine tuned depending on activity level, George is a professional napper.
In Dr Lisa's site she recommends not feeding any less than (their lean body weight X 15 ) if you are trying to get them to loose weight.
from her site http://catinfo.org/

have never seen a cat develop hepatic lipidosis when consuming at least 15 calories per pound per day. This number is figured on lean body weight, not fat weight.

If your cat weighs 18 pounds but really should weigh 12 pounds, please make sure that he is consuming ~180 calories per day. (12 pounds lean body mass X 15 calories/pound/day = ~180 calories/day)

I would recommend having a read of her site.
 
I also use the 15 calories per pound. You do want to decrease slowing in weigh though. Doodles is 18 lbs and I feed him about 250 calories a day sometimes a wee bit more. 3 cans of FF per day should be good for Grady but maybe add some plain boiled chicken which is pure protein and might help her feel full.

BTW the fish flavors if you are feeding those are lower in calorie.
 
Hi Jenny,

Here is your condo from yesterday: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/grady-2-18-otj-trial-day-6.173403/#post-1899228

Gill and Nan had an interesting point yesterday about Grady's hunger. Could it be because his numbers are much lower than he is used to? I don't know any way to be sure, but it's a good point.

When was the last time Grady had bloodwork run? I don't see anything on your labs tab in the SS. If it's been more than several months, it might not be a bad idea to get him a check up.

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Go Grady! Go Grady! Go Grady! Go Grady! Go Grady! Go Grady! Go Grady!
 
Gill & George said:
You say he needs to loose some weight, what would be a good weight for him?
How many calories would be appropriate for him would be based on his lean body weight, ie his ideal weight.
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I honestly don't know. He has been overweight for a while. He lost weight leading up to his diagnosis. I can't remember specifically what the vet said but I remember correctly, she mentioned something about the way he was carrying his weight. He did look odd...kind of disproportionate. Not sure if any of that makes sense but that has resolved itself and he looks more balanced.
 
Tricia Cinco(GA) & Harvey said:
Gill and Nan had an interesting point yesterday about Grady's hunger. Could it be because his numbers are much lower than he is used to? I don't know any way to be sure, but it's a good point.

When was the last time Grady had bloodwork run? I don't see anything on your labs tab in the SS. If it's been more than several months, it might not be a bad idea to get him a check up.
Click to expand...

I would imagine it is probably that. His numbers are way lower than they have been and they dropped fairly quickly. So maybe his body is just sorting itself out. But even before he was diagnosed he ate a lot...dry food unfortunately and we free fed plus have another cat so honestly there is no way to tell how much he was actually eating. What we could be seeing is his "normal" hunger levels and they are just more apparent since he doesn't have access to food all the time.

Last bloodwork was end of November when he was diagnosed. I will try to get him in this week just to make sure there is not something else going on.
 
Doodles & Karen said:
I also use the 15 calories per pound. You do want to decrease slowing in weigh though. Doodles is 18 lbs and I feed him about 250 calories a day sometimes a wee bit more. 3 cans of FF per day should be good for Grady but maybe add some plain boiled chicken which is pure protein and might help her feel full.

BTW the fish flavors if you are feeding those are lower in calorie.
Click to expand...

Does Doodles act hungry? Good idea about the chicken!
 
Jenny and Grady said:
I honestly don't know. He has been overweight for a while. He lost weight leading up to his diagnosis. I can't remember specifically what the vet said but I remember correctly, she mentioned something about the way he was carrying his weight. He did look odd...kind of disproportionate. Not sure if any of that makes sense but that has resolved itself and he looks more balanced.
Click to expand...
Maybe your vet was talking about muscle tone? George lost weight just prior to diagnosis, but along his back and legs he lost muscle tone and was boney, after insulin treatment and achieving regulation, his weight is essentially the same, but muscle tone much improved, so he looks healthier.

Perhaps you could phone your vet and ask him what he thinks Grady should weigh, he will have probably made a note of it on Grady's records.
 
Doodles & Karen said:
Has he recovered from the neuropathy?
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It is getting better but not fully resolved. He is definitely able to jump up better and is making more frequent trips up and down the stairs. We are still giving him the B12 supplement twice a day. I know it can be a long process and I am just glad we are seeing an improvement. What amazes me is how his grooming has improved! His fur is looking great!
 
Congrats on day 7!! Exciting! :D:D:D:D:D:D:D

I use the formula : 13 X body weight plus 70. If you feel like he needs to lose weight, how much should he weigh to be a good weight? Then use that number in the above formula.

How many times a day are you feeding? If it is only a couple times a day, divide up his food/calories between more mini meals a day to make him feel more satisfied.
 
Jenny and Grady said:
Does Doodles act hungry? Good idea about the chicken!
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Not really and he's very 'trained' at this point and is not a food motivated cat. He also still gets a little kibble since I was never able to get him completely off. At this point with his HCM/ heart failure and insulin resistance his QOL is most important and there is zero chance of remission. He'd be better off around 16lbs though.
 
Just a thought, something we had to do with George, who was food obsessed and worked quite well for us.
For a while we stopped feeding him directly ourselves, so he got all his meals from an autofeeder, that stopped him associating us with food and he stopped begging for food, even though he was getting the same quantity of food.
 
Jenny and Grady said:
It is getting better but not fully resolved. He is definitely able to jump up better and is making more frequent trips up and down the stairs. We are still giving him the B12 supplement twice a day. I know it can be a long process and I am just glad we are seeing an improvement. What amazes me is how his grooming has improved! His fur is looking great!
Click to expand...
I think that all has to do with how much better he's feeling, as he starts to adjust to low numbers again, too. The B-12 is a wonderful tool. I kept Cinco on it the rest of his life. He never walked completely normally again - his neuropathy was really, really bad - but no one but DH and I noticed the difference. It took a while, but he improved tremendously on it.
 
Bobbie And Bubba said:
How many times a day are you feeding? If it is only a couple times a day, divide up his food/calories between more mini meals a day to make him feel more satisfied.
Click to expand...

We were doing 2 times a day when on insulin. Now trying a full can in the morning, a full can in the evening and then half a can mid-day and before bed. He knows the kibble is stored in our bathroom under the sink and is clever enough to try to open the door. He waited until 5 am today so I think his snack before bed helped last night. But extremely annoying!!!!
 
I'd try a chicken snack in between meals. Doodles gets fed every 4 hours and gets a snack in between sometimes. It keeps him feeling satisfied
 
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